Fastener



Aug- 25; 1941- s. s. JosLYN 254,180

FASTENER Filed oct. 51, 1940' Patented ug. 26, 1941 v FASTENERY -Stuart S. Joslyn, Chester, Conn., assigner to Hamilton C'. Bates, Chester, Conn.

Application Gctober 31, 1940, Serial No. 363,707

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in fastening means for containers and the like and is directed more particularly to the provision of a novel fastening means for containers and receptacles having movable walls or flaps such as manicure or sewing kits, tobacco pouches, wallets, pocket-books, or devices of similarcharacter.

It is one of the principal objects'of the invention to provide a fastening arrangement which is simple and economical to manufacture and both facile and eicient in operation. As will appear from the disclosure here presented, the construction is capable of wide and varied application and the fastening may pertain to articles of various types.

As a special feature of the invention, there is a staple-like member attached to one portion of the container or receptacle and a strap or flap member associated with a relatively movable portion thereof and said strap or flap member is engageable with the staple member so as to removably hold the container or receptacle in more or less closed position. The construction of both said staple-like and the strap or flap members may be modified, as will be clear, and still come within the scope ofthe invention.

With the foregoing and various other novel features and advantages and other objects of my invention as will become more apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction land in the combination and arrangement of parts as Will be hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claims hereunto annexed and more fully described and referred to in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a receptacle or container embodying the features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of the same; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective View to show a preferred construction of certain features.

Referring now to the drawing more in detail, the invention will be fully described.

As will be appreciated, the particular form or construction of the device with which the fastening means of the invention is to be associated may vary. That is to say, the invention is more concerned with fastening a closure member of a container rather than to the structure of that container although, as will appear, the preferred form of fastening means is such as to co-operate with the receptacle construction in a unique way.

The receptacle or container according to the form shown includes a bottom wall 2, a top wall 4, a back wall 6, and'end walls joining the same. Either or both of the'walls 2 and 4, which are, of course, spaced apart, may be hinged to the wall 6 but, in any event, at least one of said walls 2 or 4 is movable relative to the other.

Preferably there is also a front wall I0 which extends between the walls 2 and 4 when the container is closed. 'I'hat is to say, the container, as will be obvious, is adapted to be opened when desired and, therefore, includes at least one wall which is movable towards and away from the others to permit accessto the interior of' the receptacle. n

'In the usual case, the container will have a cover-like part which is hinged in some manner so as to be swingable into and out of closing position. In the case of the embodiment shown in the drawing, which is merely for purposes of description and explanation, the wall 4 takes the form of a cover and is hinged at its rear side to Wall 6, the walls 2,' 4 and 6 being possibly formed from a single sheet of such flexible material as leather, for example.

In any event I have found it desirable that 'at least one of said walls, and preferably this will be the cover-like part, such as wall 4 in the form shown, have an upper surface which is more or less compressible, for a purpose which will presently appear. Such a surface can obviously be provided in various ways but one satisfactory way is to form the wall of a flexible or resilient material such as real or artificial leather, any one of various fabric sheetings overlying suitable reinforcements, or in other ways which will result in the top surfaces of the member having at least a slight give downwardly and in its automatic or natural returning or springing upwardly to a normal plane when pressure thereon from above is relieved.

A flap or strap member 20 h-as one end secured in any satisfactory manner, as by adhesive, riveting, staples, or otherwise, to one of the walls such as the bottom wall 2. Its main body portion may then extend upwardly therefrom and adjacent the front wall I while its opposite end, Which is free, is adapted to be removably associated with the opposite or top wall 4. The arrangement is intended to be such that said association or manipulation of the strap 2U will result in the covers 4 being in closing position at least until the parts are manually, and purposely, acted upon to disengage the engaging parts which will now be described more in detail.

The strap member is preferably formed of some sort of relatively flexible material, such as said parts being in embracing engagement with I opposite sides of the exibl-e strap 2D and the closed end of the U being adjacent the end of the strap. The clip is madev togrip the strap and has an outwardly extending or offset portion 26. The clip being made from thin sheet metal the portion 26 is somewhat yieldable.

According to the embodiment shown, the offset portion is formed on part 24, which lis adjacent the lower side of the strap, and an upraised stop or abutment 28 is provided on the upper part 22 of the clip for engaging a staple-like retaining member which is about to beV describedy thereby stopping the inward movement of the strap end.

The staple-like memberis indicated by 3i) and this preferably consists of a U-shaped member having a main body part for usual disposition in more or less parallelism with and spaced from the upper wall 4 and side arms extending downwardly from the body part and secured to the said wall. The particular construction ol the staple member may obviously vary but may, as according to the form shown, consist nf a strip of sheet metal out to have an opening such as 32 in its body part to form a frame-like part.

The strap is preferably flexible, as stated, but it will be understood that its free end is rendered relatively rigid bythe clip which vembraces it as above described. The construction is such, however, that the clipped end of the strap may not only be readily inserted under the staple but when so inserted will be held in yielding engagement, by reason of the yielding nature of the material of member 4 and the yieldable part, 26 of the clip.

flO

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. Hence, the present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects merely as being illustrative and not as being restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claim rather than by the foregoing description, and all modications and variations as fall within the meaning and purview and range of equivalency of the ap- Pended claim are therefore intended to be cmbraced therein.

What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

As a new article of manufacture, securing means for removably holding in a predetermined relative position the relatively movable members of a receptacle comprising in combination, a strap having one end portion for xedly securing to one of said members and an opposite free end portion for overlying a part at least of the other of said members, a staple having spaced side portions for securing to said other member and an intermediate connecting portion for ex tending above the surface of said other member so as to form therewith a clip-receiving space, and a U-shaped clip formed from a unitary strip of relatively thin metal embracing said free end portion of the strap and having upper and lower parts contiguous with the upper and lower surfaces respectively of said free end portion so that the clip and strap are permanently secured together, the free end of said upper part being bent upwardly at a relatively sharp angle to the plane thereof to provide a surface for abutting the forward side of said staple when the clip is urged inwardly within said space and then curving downwardly to its extremity to provide a surface for engagement by a linger to facilitate inward movement of the clip and strap into said space, the free end of said lower part being offset downwardly from the plane of the lower surface of the free end portion of the strap and being relatively yieldable for yieldingly engaging the surface of said other member when the clip is disposed within said space.

STUART S. JOSLYN. 

